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John Babler, PhDChairman of the Biblical Counseling Department; Professor of Biblical Counseling
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Donn R. ArmsDirector of the Institute for Nouthetic Studies
Questions?
Mid-America Institute for Nouthetic Studies
2095 Appling Road
Cordova, TN 38016
P: 901-751-8453
The Leader for True Biblical Counseling Training
Mid-America has a long-established reputation for holding steadfast to the sufficiency and inerrancy of Scripture. So when we crafted our Biblical Counseling department, we settled for nothing less than the highest standard of complete reliance on Scripture as our foundation, together with academic excellence and world class leadership by those who literally wrote the book on true biblical counseling. Conservative and comprehensive, Mid-America offers SEVEN DIFFERENT LEVELS OF BIBLICAL COUNSELING TRAINING, so wherever you are in your academic career, there’s a sure path for you to become competent to counsel.
What Is Nouthetic Counseling?
“Nouthetic Counseling” is a term coined by the father of modern biblical counseling, Dr. Jay E. Adams. A major architect of the Mid-America Institute for Nouthetic Studies, Dr. Adams wanted to create a new term that denotes a full reliance on the sufficiency of Scripture in one’s approach to counseling. Unfortunately, terms such as “Christian counseling” and sometimes even “biblical counseling” often can no longer be depended on to communicate a counseling approach in which Scripture is the highest and sole authority. While “nouthetic counseling” and “biblical counseling” are often used interchangeably, Mid-America is committed to the historical tenets of true biblical—nouthetic—counseling. Rather than an eclectic approach that mixes psychology and humanistic methods in with Scripture we teach that the Bible is sufficient for the counseling task. At Mid-America, we are fully committed to true biblical counseling—nouthetic counseling—in all our training programs.
The Mid-America Institute for Nouthetic Studies is committed to the sufficiency of Scripture and led by those who literally wrote the book on biblical counseling, leaders such as Dr. Jay E. Adams and Dr. John Babler.
Mid-America
Institute for Nouthetic Studies
Academic Degrees
Like all Mid-America degrees, our Biblical Counseling degree programs are fully accredited and uncompromising in their commitment to both biblical faithfulness and academic excellence.
We offer Biblical Counseling degrees on every level—Bachelor (BA), Masters (MA and MDIV), Doctor of Ministry (DMIN), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Each degree is available both on campus and online. So there’s a level and a format that fits wherever you are in your educational career.
Biblical Counseling Degree Programs
Certificate Programs
Mid-America’s biblical counseling certificate programs are the fastest way to become competent to counsel. We offer two options, and each one has been carefully and expertly created by the foremost leaders in the world of true biblical counseling.
Counseling by The Book Training
Counseling by The Book Training is a biblical counseling certificate program developed by Dr. John Babler, Chairman of Biblical Counseling at Mid-America Seminary and College. His expert training will help you learn how to use Scripture to counsel in a wide variety of settings. It is conveniently offered live and in livestream and on-demand online video formats. Also, Level 1 and Level 2 options are available.
Jay Adams Nouthetic Counseling Certificate
The Mid-America Institute for Nouthetic Studies also offers the Jay Adams Nouthetic Counseling Certificate. This training program is also geared toward pastors and laypeople desiring to counsel based on God’s Word. It’s a self-paced, online study series containing 11 courses that provide a robust education in biblical counseling fundamentals.
ACBC Certified Training Center
Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary has been selected as an official Certified Training Center for the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). In fact, both of the certificate training programs mentioned above fulfill the requirements for the Fundamentals training requirement for certification by the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).
Institute for Nouthetic Studies (INS) Resources
Mid-America INS Resources provides on-going training and tools for students, laypersons, professionals, and anyone looking for continuing education resources. Best of all, you can trust that all resources offered through INS Resources reflect the same commitment to the sufficiency and inerrancy of Scripture that is the hallmark of Mid-America and all our degrees and other training programs.
- Online bookstore with books, booklets, and videos by Jay Adams, John Babler, and others
- Additional courses by Jay Adams, Donn Arms, and others
- Featuring Jay Adams
- Featuring Jay Adams and others
- Creating and enhancing church counseling ministries and counseling centers and providing advanced counseling coaching for biblical counselors
- Lectures, essays, and more
What Makes Mid-America the Leader?
A Legacy of biblical counseling leadership
In 2015, Mid-America and Dr. Jay E. Adams, author of Competent to Counsel and father of the biblical counseling movement, partnered to build a counseling curriculum that is faithful to the Scriptures, academically rigorous, and intensely practical. The legacy of Dr. Adams has been expanded by Mid-America Professor and Chairman of the Biblical Counseling department, Dr. John Babler. Dr. Babler earned his PhD at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he also taught for 28 years. Now leading the Mid-America Institute for Nouthetic Studies, Dr. Babler teaches courses, leads workshops, writes, and serves as a Fellow and Board Member of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). The legacy and leadership of these two renown scholars has helped Mid-America become America’s premier equipping center for biblical counseling.
